out. craig? >> republicans are going to have to show a little more ankle. i'll be using that. mike viquiera, from 1600 pennsylvania, thank you, good sir. so will a deal get done by the january 1st deadline? here's what one prominent republican senator had to say this morning. >> i think we're going off the cliff. it's pretty clear to me they've made a political calculation. you can limit deductions to $40,000, $50,000 a person which takes care of the middle class, upper-income americans will lose about $800 billion in revenue. the president's plan when it comes to entitlement reform is quite frankly a joke. i don't think they're serious about finding a deal. >> joining me are our special panelist of journalists, anna marie cox and karen tumblty, a political reporter for the "washington post." good sunday afternoon to both of you. >> anna marie, let me start with you. for about two days after the election, everyone is holding hands, singing kumbaya. no one is singing any more. all of that optimism seems to have disappeared. we're hearing more lawmakers saying publicly, we just heard